The Best There Is
by TheShipWeirdo
Summary: Time may change things, but it doesn't change enough. [one-shot] Natsu x Lisanna (for Day 6 of NaLi Week)


**Title: **_The Best There Is_

**Pair****ing: **_Natsu Dragneel x Lisanna Strauss_

**Rating: **_K_

**Ge****nre: **_F__riendship_

**Prompt:** _Imagination_

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**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail is not owned by me.

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No one ever believed him as a young child. Whenever he would talk about his father, Igneel, being a majestic dragon, people wouldn't believe him. The children in the guild of his age would always scoff at him, and most adults would feign interest. Some mature people, however, would simply smile, but in their minds shrug it off. He knew; he noticed. Yet still Natsu Dragneel took what he got. By now he registered the fact that nobody would believe him, but he didn't stop talking about Igneel. He just couldn't. His father – his amazing father – held a huge place in his heart, and Natsu _knew _he would always would. Igneel really was the most important person in his life, and there was no changing that.

He'd grown used to it for that cause. The relief he got from talking about Igneel, and the way he admired the dragon even more and more with each word, caused him to not mind the fact that most people thought he was lying. They thought he was faking it, that it was just his imagination. Still, he took what he got, because the opportunity to talk about Igneel was just too good to pass up. It went like that for some time... that was, until he met her.

Lisanna Strauss. Natsu was absolutely astonished by this girl. Every word that came out of his mouth, be it about Igneel or anything at all, seemed to matter to her. He understood when people were faking interest, when they were faking belief, but with this girl everything just seemed so... genuine.

And it was. Lisanna _did _believe about Igneel, Natsu's wonderful father. She believed everything he told her, and she was certain it was not his imagination like the others said. This boy – this silly, chubby, pink-haired boy of her age – held a lot of importance in her life. She was not sure why, she would never be sure why, but it was true. He, Natsu Dragneel, meant a lot to her, and vice versa.

They were inseparable; the best of friends. Natsu and Lisanna. Their names next to each other, it just fit so perfectly. And it was all perfect; they valued their friendship, their bond, and they always would.

Of course, there were obstacles to come. And one of them came like a big blow to both their faces; Lisanna's death. It affected Natsu greatly, why wouldn't it? She was the second most important person in his life. For so many years, it was just him, Lisanna, and Happy. They were a team, best friends. And Lisanna had so much history with Natsu, of course she mattered to him! As much as he mattered to her, perhaps even more.

Later on, it was discovered Lisanna technically never died, but was instead taken to Edolas through the Anima. She returned, and that was a joy for the whole guild. Everyone was happy, and Natsu was too.

Yet still, not as much. Between the time she was dead, a lot had changed. He'd made new friends – like Lucy – and he'd done a lot more. Team Natsu was formed and everything was going pretty well for him. Of course, he never forgot her. Her presence was always with him, and she was still important to him. But time does a lot to someone, and sometimes the importance starts to fade. Not completely, but mostly.

She noticed him and Lucy in Edolas; how close they were. She didn't mind, Lisanna liked Lucy. However, it was human nature to be slightly hurt by the fact that she was no longer his best friend. Natsu still held the same importance for her, and that was strange. Time stopped for her, but it moved on for him, and that was hard to compete with.

"What are you thinking about?" he once asked her when they were at the guild. It was crazy as usual, with all the ruckus, but he for once didn't take a part in it.

She was sitting at the bar, and simply smiled before answering, "You; us."

"What about us?" he gently asked, taking a seat beside her. It surprised himself on how he acted with her. It was like there were different shades of him. With Lisanna, he could be kind, gentle, silly, childish, angry, happy, sad, surprised, and a lot more. She brought out both the best and worst in him. She made him feel plenty of emotions; she made him feel alive.

"You know," she took in a plain, ordinary tone, "the usual. I was just... reminiscing memories, I guess."

"You were?"

"Mhm. I was thinking back to when we were kids. We had a really good friendship going back there, didn't we?"

"Don't we now?" he sounded offended, and she took notice of it.

"Yes, I guess we do, but Natsu, you know things are not the same as before," she explained. "There's been a lot of time gap between us, with me being in Edolas and all, so a lot's changed."

"Not too much," he argued. "We still have our friendship, and it's as strong as before!"

"Yeah," she scoffed, "_right._"

"You don't believe me?"

"I've already told you; time chan–"

"You don't believe me?" he repeated in a more serious tone.

Lisanna turned to look at him straight in the eyes. He looked different, and, though it was ironic to say, she'd seen him like this before. They spent so many years together, she saw a lot of him, almost every emotion he ever displayed. "I don't," she settled for the word, and his eyes slightly widened.

"Funny, I never thought you'd say that to me." It seemed more like he was talking to himself than her. "You know, with all the stories about Igneel I used to tell you in the past. And all the bragging I used to do. You always believed every word I said, so hearing this come from you is... I don't know, weird."

She paused for a while, realizing that she'd hurt him. "Natsu..."

"No," he cut her off, "no, let me speak, okay? Look, Lisanna, I care about you, I do. You've always been there for me, through the good times and bad. Okay, maybe time's changed things, but not my feelings for you. They're still as deep and real as before. Lisanna, you mean a lot to me. You're the only one who's always believed what I said, whereas others thought it to be just my imagination. You weren't like them, you were different. And you still are, at least to me."

A faint smile tugged at her lips, and then it grew wider. "Thanks, Natsu. And, just for the record, I feel the same about you. You mean a lot to me too."

"Because we're best friends, aren't we?" Natsu suggested, smiling back at her.

"The best there is," Lisanna agreed.


End file.
